The Guard and The Guarded
by Miyavilurver
Summary: Solon would do anything to make Jay his perfect weapon. A tale of Jay's past and present. A bit AU. Covers Jay's CQ. Also MosesxJay if you squint. I need to come up with a better summary and title, lol
1. Chapter 1

So, The KillerBunny and myself came up with yet another awesome plot~ we've never written Legendia before and we were struggling to come up with a plot, when this beauty was born. I hope everyone enjoys it~ Please read and review~!

(This takes place before Jay was on the Legacy, and next chapter will be during Jay's CQ, although it will be much different than you expect although still quite awesome ^^)

* * *

"You are nothing! Pathetic! The only thing you know how to do is kill! And even then, you can't do it right!"

_Smack! _

"You useless thing! You ungrateful thing!"

_Smack! _

"You will listen to my orders when I say them with NO hesitation!" Solon continued to hit Jay who had just hesitated in killing someone during training. During the spar, Jay had done well, but when Solon told Jay to kill him, he hadn't done it.

Jay tightened his body as he felt Solon hit him, again and again. His eyes closed tightly, not wanting to let his pain show, not wanting to cry... He was a tool.. He wasn't allowed to cry... Jay was then knocked to the ground at the force of one of Solon's hits. A hiss finally slipped out then and his breath began to get heavier. He was shaking, he shouldn't be shaking. "I... I'm sorry, Master..." Jay whispered softly, hating himself for being such a failure. Why had he hesitated? Why couldn't he do it?

Solon looked down at Jay before his angry expression contorted into a more psychotic one. His lips widened to a large smirk. "Always apologizing. You'll see that it won't do you any good in life." Solon reached down and grabbed Jay's ponytail to pull him up. "You are nothing but a tool." He told him. "And what is a tool that cannot do its purpose? Where is that useless tool destined to go?" Solon's mouth was inches away from his ear. "To the garbage."

Jay winced as Solon pulled him up by his hair, the pain making his eyes sting once more. He hurt all over... the fight from before was nothing compared to what Solon always made him feel afterwards. It hurt... it hurt so much. And Solon's words weren't easing the pain. "I'll do better!" Jay pleaded, shaking his head as he heard the others words. "Please...! Master..."

Solon found himself smirking again at the sound of Jay's pleading. "You'd better." He yanked Jay's hair before throwing him to the floor. "Now go do your chores. They're long since overdue." But of course, the reason they were overdue was because Solon made Jay train so much. He made sure that training and chores were all Jay had any time for, because of his little tool's nighttime visitor that always seemed to sneak in...

Jay bit his lip to stop himself from gasping at the continued assault. He had landed painfully and awkwardly one of his cheeks, he was sure it would bruise... Slowly, he got back up to his knees and stared at the ground, trying to regain his breath. Trying not to show any more weakness... At Solon's orders, he nodded from the floor, still not looking up at Solon's eyes. "Yes, Master." he responded to him, voice tiny. He didn't want to make him more angry... Slowly, Jay shakily got up to his feet and began limping out the door.

Solon watched Jay limp and couldn't help one last statement. "Oh, and you aren't allowed any meals today or tomorrow. Let that be a lesson to you." and with that, he left. Not allowing Jay a chance to protest.

Jay's eyes widened at this restriction... it wasn't fair... Jay clenched his fists at his sides, feeling suddenly angry. Why did Master always treat him like this? Why... why didn't he... love him? Jay frowned as that forbidden thought popped up in his head again. He shook his head, as if the motion would make him forget about it. And if as to further add to his misery, his stomach decided to growl then. After all he had done today... of course he would be hungry. And yet it would be a while before he tasted food again...

* * *

A boy with bright red hair and loose clothing was wandering around the village nearby where Solon and his ninjas trained. He picked up an apple from a market and paid for it before heading off with a smile. Looking around, he instinctively knew where he was. He didn't bother to use a door. Instead, he perched himself on a window sill and looked into the kitchen with a grin. "Hey, Jay!" he said, letting one leg hang as he bit into his apple.

Jay was currently in the kitchen, making dinner for his Master. He was cutting the vegetables carefully, and so focused on his work it was as if he was in a trance. Suddenly, a voice startled him out of it, making him carelessly cut his own finger with the blade. "Ouch!" he hissed, dropping his knife as he instinctively brought up his hand to his chest. Jay growled and swiveled around to glare at the window. "What are you doing here Noah?" he scolded the other, while mentally berating himself for letting himself be that startled. What kind of ninja was he?

_A failure..._ Solon's voice replied in his head, but Jay ignored it, instead focusing on his visitor. He had told him multiple times to not walk up here so casually! It was dangerous!

"Whoa, are you okay?" Noah immediately jumped in and grabbed Jay's hand to look at the cut finger, before grinning. "I thought ninjas were supposed to be good with knives!" he joked with a small laugh. He put the apple down and grabbed a napkin to wipe the blood from Jay's finger. He always ignored Jay's warnings.

Jay's stomach twisted at the other's playfully meant words. "You don't have to tell me that." he told the other sulkily, pulling his hand back to his own chest. He shook his head. "You shouldn't be here." he warned the other again.

"Don't worry, Jay. They can't do anything to me!" Noah grinned before he pulled Jay's hand forward again. He pressed the napkin to the cut so it would stop bleeding. " 'Sides. You like it when I come over, right?"

Jay cheeks pinked ever so slightly at the other's words, but didn't respond, nor protest. They were true after all...and they shouldn't be. He didn't dare to think what would happen if Solon ever knew... Noah... made him happy. He treated him like a person...

At this point Jay's stomach decided to growl again, which made him remembered he was supposed to be making dinner! He shivered, not really wanting to think what would happen if he was late... on top of everything that had happened today!

"You should go Noah..." Jay told him, his voice a little regretful. But he meant it. "I'm busy right now. I'm doing chores... I can't slack off at the moment." he frowned at him.

Noah looked at him and heard his stomach growl. "Oh." he looked downtrodden for a moment before an idea sparked and he was grinning again. "What if I help you? Then you could finish your chores faster!" he said, picking up his apple again. "By the way, Jay. I've never heard your stomach growl before. Have you eaten anything today?" He looked at Jay for a moment, his smile faltering ever so slightly. He didn't know the details, but he knew Solon mistreated Jay on a daily basis.

Jay looked a little surprised at his suggestion, though he really shouldn't be. It wasn't the first time Noah tried to help him out somehow... Before he could respond him though, Noah's second question caught him off guard. He wasn't sure how to answer. He had a feeling if he told the truth, Noah would get mad... "A-a little." he told him. "I've been so busy I forgot.. I'll eat later though. I really should get to work right now." he told him, before turning around and heading back to his spot.

It was then that Noah grabbed Jay's shoulder and pushed the unbitten side of his apple into Jay's mouth. "Here, finish it. I can chop the vegetables for you." he said with a smile and a pat on the shoulder. He then went over and chopped the vegetables easily. It was surprising that someone like Noah knew how to cook.

As Jay felt the apple at his lips, all protesting thoughts vanished. He really hadn't wanted to disobey his Master. But he was just...so hungry... It had taken a lot out of him, just cooking and not eating anything in between. The smells had teased him, and now to have just his simple fruit in his mouth made him almost lose all his control. He couldn't help but to finish it off, despite the horrid guilt that he felt for committing this action. The guilt increased even further as he saw Noah help him with his chores. He had wanted to protest... but it was always so hard to deny his fri- to deny him.

"..."

Without saying another word, Jay continued working side-by-side with Noah, until finally dinner was ready.

After dinner was finished, Noah grinned and smacked a flour covered hand on Jay's back, leaving a white handprint. "Alright, done! Good job, Jay!" he patted him a few more times with a pointed grin as if he knew exactly what he was doing. And he did. It took every bit of Noah's restraint not to laugh.

"Noah!" Jay protested, knowing exactly what the other was up to as well. At the moment, he wasn't sure what came over him, but all of the sudden... he got some of the nearby flour and threw it in the direction of the other, making Noah's red hair become suddenly white.

"Ack!" Noah jumped back as the white powder covered him. He shook his head like a dog, sending the powder flying in a dense cloud. "You do realize that this is war!" he said with a grin as he grabbed a handful of flour and flung it back at Jay.

Jay dodged the throw with his ninja agility, and possibly for the first time in his life, a small laugh slipped past his lips. The sound was so strange, so foreign, that it made him stop in his tracks in surprise.

Noah stopped for a moment too before he smiled softly. Jay's laugh. It sounded so nice. He'd never noticed it before, probably because he's never laughed... Noah moved over to him and pulled Jay into his arms, hugging him. "I always worry about you, Jay. I always see you sad and depressed." he looked at him and gave him a bright smile. "I'm happy when my little brother is happy."

Jay was at first a little too surprised to react... but when he registered the other approaching him like that, moving to touch him, he couldn't help but to tense and close his eyes. However, Noah did nothing but hold him gently, putting him slightly at ease. (Despite knowing that the sound he made before was something he shouldn't be doing...) And then, at Noah's words, a burst of warmth seemed to fill his chest. It was so strange... but then again Noah always made him feel strange. He didn't understand him. He didn't understand why Noah always treated him so kindly...

Noah smiled a bit at him before his grin turned mischievous. He immediately shoved a handful of flour in Jay's face, smearing it all over his cheeks, forehead, and hair. "HA! GOTCHA!" he laughed triumphantly.

Jay coughed and scrunched up his face as he felt the flour practically drown him. "Noah!" He elbowed the other as he tried to shake off all the flour. He was practically drenched in it. If his Master could see him now...

! His Master! Jay's eyes widened as he remembered he was supposed to bring in his food now. He couldn't go looking like this! Immediately, he began rubbing off all the flour off of him.

"Thanks for all the help, Noah." he murmured to the other, his voice shy, grateful but slightly panicked. "I really need to get going though. I'll promise to repay you for your help next time." he told him, his voice slowly going back to its usual businesslike tone.

Noah looked at him, catching the panicked part of his tone more than the other two. He frowned with concern, realizing he had mucked up. He grabbed a towel from the kitchen counter and rubbed the flour off Jay's face. "Sorry." he muttered. "I knew you had to see him and I did it anyway." He didn't like referring to Solon as Jay's master.. and thus he never did use that word. He simply said 'him'.

Jay shook his head. "Don't worry about it." he frowned. "You really helped me out today..." he murmured, almost to himself, as he remembered the kind things Noah had done for him today. After a little more cleaning up, he was finally freed of the flour. He turned to serve the food and got ready to see his Master. However, just before picking up the tray he turned to face Noah once more.

"I'm glad you came over today..." Jay told him, his eyes looking at the ground. Then, almost too quickly, he leaned forward to give the other a small brief hug, before darting away. He picked up the tray and was out the door before Noah could respond.

Noah blinked in shock at the hug. Jay had never really shown him any affection that Noah hadn't started first. And even then, it was so rare he could count them all on one hand. But this one, Jay hugged him by himself. Though it was brief, it was a hug. But by the time Noah regained his bearings, Jay was already gone. He knew he couldn't go after him. How would Jay look with a flour-covered teen chasing him down the hallway? So instead, Noah just smiled a bit and muttered softly to himself. "Me too." He smiled and got to work cleaning up the kitchen so Jay wouldn't get in trouble. After it was clean, he took his leave.

* * *

Solon was sitting at the table, tapping his fingers on the wooden surface impatiently.

Knock, knock.

"M-master...?" Jay called out softly from outside his Master's room. He had knocked the door just loud enough to be heard, but not enough to annoy... he hoped. He had a feeling that he was late, despite how fast he was able to finish because of Noah...

"Come in." Solon said curtly, his irritated look remained on his face for Jay to see. "It took you long enough." He stared at him, waiting for the food to be put down.

"I'm sor-" Jay began softly, before cutting himself off. Master hated when he apologized...

"..."

He approached him silently and put his food down in front of him before backing off a few steps. He did not leave the room, as he had yet to be instructed to do so.

And Solon didn't instruct Jay to leave. He began to eat with Jay standing there, knowing full well what he was doing. Solon looked at him for a moment. "So tell me. What _did_ take you so long? You know I don't like tardiness." Well, Solon hated everything that was less than perfection. Perfection that, in Solon's eyes, Jay did not have.

Jay did his best to not flinch at the question. "I-I'm sorry." he couldn't help but to apologize this time. His mouth felt heavy, and guilt churched in his stomach again, almost painfully. "I didn't mean to take long." He bit his lip and stared directly at the floor. He didn't want his Master to see the truth in his eyes, to hear the lies in his words.

But it was as if Solon did sense it. Solon narrowed his eyes and looked over Jay before his eyes locked onto his neck. He reached over and grabbed the collar of Jay's shirt, pulling him over roughly. "What is this?" he demanded lowly, pulling the cloth up a bit. There was a clear mark of a finger made of flour. In the rush to clean up, they had missed an easy to miss spot.

Jay's body suddenly became rigid and his mind blank. _No!_ he thought horrified. He started at his Master with frightful, cornered eyes. How could he have been so careless?

Solon relished the look on Jay's face, but at the same time... "I asked you a question!" Solon stood and shoved Jay's torso down on the table. His hand gripped the back of the young ninja's head, pressing it down painfully into the wooden tabletop. "Where is my answer! There was someone in there with you, wasn't there?" Then it clicked. "It's that boy, isn't it? That boy from the village!"

"Ah..!" Jay moaned as his Master aggravated his earlier injuries with this assault. His heart thumped loudly in his chest as Solon made mention of Noah...he knew! "N-no!" He shook his head, ignoring the pain that the action caused him. "There was no one!" he protested, and the very words almost caused bile to rise in his throat.

Solon grabbed Jay's hair and lifted his head before slamming it down onto the table. "Don't you DARE lie to me!" he growled. "One of the lookouts told me of a boy entering here! At first I thought nothing of it. Just a wandering boy. But it seems I was mistaken!"

"Aaaah...!" Jay gasped at the blinding pain. "M-master...!" he whimpered. "It hurts..!" he cried out. Tears stung at the corners of his eyes, and for the first time in a long time, he wasn't able to hold them back.

Solon grabbed Jay and roughly turned him over so he was facing up. Then he saw the cut on his finger and began to laugh. "Look at you! You're so pathetic!" He gripped Jay's wrist and inspected the cut. "You cut yourself. You cry. What type of assassin are you?" he laughed loudly before he reached for his own knife, concealed underneath his belt.

Jay tried to stop his tears, he did! But they continued to fall regardless. He cringed at the sight of his Master's knife. He..._hated_... that knife. The sight of it made him want to struggle, to run, but he knew these things were meaningless... useless. ...Moreover, Solon's words pierced a part of him that could not be reached by a knife, a part far more easily injured and far more painful.

Solon gripped the knife and reached up before stabbing it into the table mere centimeters from Jay's neck. "Tell me this boy's name." he said with an eerily calm voice.

Jay hated himself at that moment. He didn't want to say it... he didn't want him to know..! But at that moment every teaching and instinct that had been driven into him began to surface. He could not disobey such a direct command. "Noa..." Jay murmured the name so quietly, it was mostly inaudible.

"Louder." Solon commanded. He pulled the knife out of the table, holding it close to Jay's neck in order to squash out anymore thoughts of resistance.

Jay could feel the cold sharp blade beginning to dig into his neck. His heart pounded loudly then, his body longed to flee from all of this. He just wanted it to end... "N-n..." Jay hated the way he stuttered like this. He hated the way that Noah's face would smile at him every time he closed his eyes. Mostly, he hated himself, for giving in to his Master like this, for giving him what he wanted... "His name... is N-noah..." he finally whispered, feeling something inside of him snap as he did.

Solon smirked wide, obviously pleased. "Good, Jay. Very good." He pulled the knife away and put it back in his belt. He sat down once more. "This boy will be eliminated. He is a danger to you and your training."

"N-no!" Jay immediately protested before closing his mouth with a snap. His eyes widened at his impertinence... but he hadn't been able to stop those words... he didn't want Noah to die...

Solon's eyes snapped to look at Jay. There was a flash of anger before it disappeared to an unemotional wall. "It was naïve of me to think your lessons were done for the day." He stood and backhanded Jay across the face. Hard.

"A...aah.." Jay's cheek burnt from the blow. His body was sent flying across the table, sending the plates still full of food crashing to the floor along with him. Silent tears continued to flow down his cheeks and he whimpered as his body screamed with pain. The hot food that had landed on him was not any help either... Jay couldn't help but to curl his body into himself, as if trying to protect himself from any more pain.

Solon allowed himself a smirk. "Now, now. Look at the mess you made." He grabbed Jay's hair and pushed his face into some of the food. He then dragged Jay by his hair off the table and onto the floor where he kicked the boy in the stomach.

"Aah!" Jay cried out loudly at the hit, the impact making him cough dryly and unexpectedly. Jay could feel his body start to lock up, his chest constricting. "Master..." he tried to plead. "Master I'm.. *cough* I didn't... mean... to.." he wheezed out in a shaky voice. His vision was beginning to blur. All he could feel was pain...

Solon pressed his foot down on Jay's chest. "You're pathetic. Nothing. You're as valuable as a rusted knife that can't cut." He kicked Jay's side. "You're useless. You're lucky I don't just get rid of you. I raised you, gave you a home. You should be begging to be useful to me!" He kicked him again and the motion causing a small jingle. He stared at Jay and nudged the spot again.

"What, is that?"

_No. Nonononono,_ was the only thought that could pass through Jay's mind at that moment. He curled his body up even tighter into himself, as if the action could protect his special item.

Solon reached down and grabbed Jay's ponytail, pulling his head back, forcing him to uncurl a bit. He reached into Jay's clothes and pulled out the small silver bell. "What are you doing with this?"

"That's...I...!" Jay struggled to reach out to the small bell, trying to ignore his body's protest to stay still.

Solon smacked Jay's hand aside and stood straight, holding the bell as if it was something dirty. "When you hold onto such garbage, you become garbage. I'm only doing this for your own good, Jay. With this and that boy gone, you will be the assassin you were destined to be." He put the bell away in his pocket and smirked. "I guarantee it."

Jay bit his lip and looked to the ground, clenching his fists so tightly he was drawing blood. "...Please give it back." he begged him, his voice quiet and full of despair. But above all, full of resignation. "It's... the only thing I have...please, Master." He licked his lips then, hesitantly, not sure if he should really say the next words... but he did. "I'll, I'll do anything, so please...!"

"Pathetic." Solon looked down at Jay. "You don't need such trash. You will do as you are ordered. You will get up and clean this room. Then you will go to your room and stay there until morning." He smirked a bit. "And if I'm in a good mood, perhaps I'll give it back."

Jay knew Solon's words were obsolete. He knew protesting further would earn him worse punishments. And Solon would follow through, even if it would break him... even if it would kill him... Why... Why ...? Jay wondered for the second time that day. All he had ever wanted was his Master's acknowledgement. But nothing he ever did was good enough...

"Well? You have your orders. Get up and do them." Solon said before he walking off and out of the room.

Jay felt so resigned at that moment. "Yes, Master..." he replied then, and with a trembling body, Jay slowly, carefully, got up to his feet. He wobbled as he moved but he refused to fall again. He did his best to endure his pain and his tears as he began cleaning up the mess he had made.

Afterwards, he wasn't sure how it was he made it back to his room. Once inside, he collapsed into his bed and curled up in it, not daring to move anymore. His whole body ached and stung in more ways than one. He could feel the bruises already beginning form. He... had lost his precious bell... The mere thought made him cry all over again...

"Hey, Jay-... Jay?" Noah scrambled into the room through the window going quickly over to the bed. "Jay, what happened?" He stared at Jay's tears in disbelief but as he saw the injuries, it turned to anger.

Jay could barely hear Noah's words, so deep he was in his misery. His eyes had a lost, almost dead look. His shakes had long since died down and now he only lay very, very still despite the tears still fell from his eyes silently.

"Jay...?" Noah knelt down next to Jay's bed, his hands on the other's pale cheeks. "Jay, talk to me. It's me, Noah, your big bro. Come on.. Say something..." What kind of big brother was he? He couldn't even protect Jay...

It was then that Jay noticed he wasn't alone. He didn't flinch from Noah's touch. Instead, he felt his body move closer to him on its own accord, despite the pain that action caused him. "My bell..." he murmured to him. "It was the only thing I had, the only clue I had to my real family..." he whispered as he continued to stare at nothing.

Noah frowned and gently wiped the tears away. "What happened to your bell, Jay? Did someone take it?" His voice was soft and soothing.

Jay closed with eyes, and this time instead of seeing Noah's smiling face, all he could see was his Master's seething one. He flinched at the image and hesitated to even speak, but the words slipped out on their own accord. "_He_ took them..." he whispered, not daring to even speak his name at the moment.

"You mean.. Solon?" Noah gritted his teeth. "HE did this to you?" Noah hugged Jay, holding him securely in his arms before he looked at him with determination in his eyes. "I'll make him pay for making my little brother cry. No one hurts my family and gets away with it." He placed a hand on Jay's cheek for a moment before he got up and headed for the door.

Panic suddenly swelled within at those words, and Jay scrambled out of his bed, almost tackling Noah to stop him in his tracks. "No!" he yelled, although not too loudly (he couldn't risk being found out again, not now). He wrapped his arms around the other's waist, pulling him back to himself. "Don't, please don't go." he whispered feverishly.

Noah stumbled when Jay suddenly ran unto him and grabbed him. He tensed at Jay's words and turned around, holding Jay close to his chest. "I'll be fine, Jay." he said softly. "That old man can't do anything to me." He then got an idea and smiled down at Jay. "Why don't you come with me? You and me, let's get out of here. We'll live in the village together."

The offer sounded so temping... so tempting. Noah.. he was always so good to him. Jay knew that leaving with him would be good for him. But.. even if he wanted to do, he knew Solon would end up finding them in the end. And he didn't dare run away from his Master. Master had done so much for him... he had raised him, even if he hadn't cared for him as he would like. Jay owed him his life… as worthless as it was.

Jay's arms fell at his sides again and he backed away from Noah. He had a small frown on his lips and he stared at the ground instead of at the other. "I can't." he told him, shaking his head and taking another step back. "I can't leave here, Noah." He bit his lip and his gazed move to stare at his hands, hands that were born to kill, to serve. "I.. I belong here Noah... And you," he thought of his Master at that moment, of his threat to kill Noah earlier... he didn't want Noah to die. "You don't." he finished, and did his best to put on a cold face as he finally stared up at the other's eyes. "Leave Noah. Leave and don't come back to this place."

Noah's smile faded at the other's words. "Jay... You don't belong here. That guy, he doesn't care about you. No one here cares about you! You're nothing to them! But, you're really a great person! They don't see that, but I do! I care about you, so please, Jay!" He took a step towards Jay, moving to take his hands. "Let me help you."

Noah's initial words stung more than he would like to admit to himself. They were true after all, and Jay knew it. The last part though, the last part made him cry again. He had never heard the other confirm his thoughts before, that he... cared about him. Warmth threatened to overwhelm him again. He wanted to hug the other man, run away from here. But who was Jay fooling? There really wasn't a choice here. If this had been another life, another time, then he would have loved to go. But he couldn't. He wouldn't.

"Are you an idiot?" he heard his voice tell the other. It was as if Master had taken over his body at that moment. "Don't you think you have helped enough?" he scowled at the other before pointing to his own injuries. "This is all your fault, if you hadn't come today this wouldn't have happened!" It pained him to make his face twist with anger like this, but he knew there was no other choice.

Noah took a step back as if Jay had physically hurt him. Of course... It all made sense. They had somehow found out about him and Jay had taken the punishment. It _was_ his fault. "I... Jay, I.. I'm so sorry..." he whispered, his face pale. "I didn't- I _never_ meant to hurt you.. I just…" _I just love seeing you smile..._ "I'll.. go..." he whispered, heading for the window to leave.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered softly as he climbed out the window.

Jay watched him go with a heavy heart and a lump in his throat. He wanted to stop him, apologize and beg him not to go... but this was for the best. At least, this way.. Noah would live. Still, Jay couldn't help but to close his eyes, and let more tears escape from his eyes silently. Everything that had happened today seemed to hit him again at that moment. Everything hurt so much. He fell to his knees then, no longer being able to hold himself upright.

It took a while before Jay was able to get back up to his feet. He couldn't help but to wallow, feeling miserable for getting rid of the only thing that really made him feel alive... loved. Hadn't been just a few hours ago, that he was actually having fun? He had laughed then... Jay wouldn't be able to do so anymore. Because, Noah was never coming back. Jay's lips smiled sadly then. Master would be happy at least. There was nothing left for him to live for. Not Noah, and not his bell. Jay could finally become a weapon now.. just like Master wanted him to.

* * *

Noah wrapped his arms around himself as he headed around the building to go back to the village. It had been his fault. Jay had gotten hurt because of him. He was such an idiot. He was so stupid to think that he could to this without getting caught. He was naïve to think that Jay would be okay as long as he was there. Noah wished he could do something. One last thing. Just to show Jay how much he cared and how guilty he felt.

And there it was. The answer twinkled softly in the moonlight, a soft gentle jingle provoked by the nighttime breeze. Noah's eyes locked onto a small silver bell hanging on the inside of a window. A small look to the side showed that the bell would be easily seen from the training grounds. That asshole…

Noah didn't allow himself to think too much about this. He crept up to the window slowly pulling it open. He reached inside and felt a small feeling of victory as his fingers closed around the cold metal. Then suddenly, a puff of smoke and a blade at his throat. "Hello, Noah." Solon's voice all but purred as he grabbed Noah's hair.

Run. Run. Run. Run as fast as you can. Noah sprinted up a hill but a puff of smoke inches away from him made him stagger back in shock. He didn't stop to look and just kept running as fast as he could. He could hear Solon's laugh behind him. He had to get away. He had to run. No, not to the village. If he lost Solon in the village, he'd surely tear the place apart. He ran instead towards the coast. Sprinting onto the docks, he quickly hid in one of the ships. He had lost Solon. Solon wasn't following him anymore… Noah panted heavily as he felt the ship begin to move. The redhead hid himself in the cargo hold, watching through a small window as the land faded from view.

Jay… He'd never see him again… Noah gripped the small silver bell in his hand and curled up in a corner, falling into a dreamless sleep. Then… He woke up. Fire. Screaming. The water was already up to his waist. Noah gasped and realized the ship was sinking.

"NO!" He gripped the bell as he hurried to the door. It wouldn't open… Noah looked around frantically before seeing a spear floating in the water. He grabbed it and attempted to pry the door open. But it didn't work. The water was up to his chest now.

The redhead waded over to a window, hitting the sharp tip against the glass which broke easily. Water flooded in. It was up to his neck. It took all of Noah's strength to wiggle through the hole before he was completely engulfed in the ocean. The currents threw him around before his head smacked into something hard.

He floated limp in the water as black began to fade into his vision. Then.. a shadow. It looked like a huge ship… A few more bubbles of air escaped from Noah's mouth as he finally lost consciousness.

* * *

It was a few days later before Jay could continue his duties. His Master had gracefully given him a break to heal up, although his threat of no food still stood the day after. During this time, Jay had seen neither hide nor hair of Noah… The fact pained him, but, it had been what he wanted, wasn't it?

Jay allowed himself a small frown during his walk to his Master's room. He missed Noah… he hoped that he was alright at least. His Master had made no more mention of him since that day. Jay hoped this meant his plan had succeeded…

Jay knocked on his Master's room once he finally arrived. His knock was met with silence however, which made him frown. He could hear voices inside, although very faintly. He knew he should wait to be addressed, but for some reason, he couldn't help but to open the door ever so slightly to peek inside… There was a ninja at his Master's side, whispering something to him.

Something that Master didn't like, Jay thought, staring at his Master's dark expression.

Solon had been furious that he lost the boy and that he had gotten away with Jay's bell. But when he ensured that the ship he was on had sunk, he figured that the boy was dead.

But now their information network found something new. "The boy is on the Legacy, Master." the ninja whispered to Solon. "The Legacy had been passing by the ship at the time that it sunk, and according to our informants, the boy managed to make it aboard. Not only that but in that short time, he's managed to pick up quite the posse." It was Solon's worst nightmare.

But then as the door opened and Solon looked up, catching Jay peeking in, he smirked. Solon had the perfect plan. "Jay. You've come just in time." He waved his hand, beckoning him in. "I have an official assignment for you." His smirk widened.

Jay almost flinched at his Master's voice. The smirk on the other's face made him hesitate for just one second, but he did enter through the door, bowing in greeting and in apology for 'spying', before straightening up to await for his orders. He wondered what type of assignment this was...

Solon looked at the other ninja. "How large is his group?"

"It's about ten young men, master." the ninja said with a bow. Solon nodded. "Then prepare five to accompany Jay." he said. The ninja bowed once more before he left, leaving Solon and Jay alone. Solon looked at Jay. "You are to assassinate someone. As you heard, he has a group of ten. Their combat skills are mediocre at best, so this should be an easy job."

"Yes, Master." Jay showed no sign of emotion on his face at these words, but inwardly he was relieved. It was a group of people... which means it couldn't be Noah that they were after. He waited for his Master to tell him where to head next, as it was not his place to ask questions. His place was to get the job done.

"Their hideout is on a large moving continent called the Legacy. We know its whereabouts so you will head there immediately. They are a few miles west of the central town called Werites Beacon." Solon stood. "You will kill all ten of them. Be at the docks in an hour. Your group will meet you there and the six of you will board the ship headed for the Legacy. Dismissed."

"Yes, Master." Jay bowed to him once again, making sure to remain cold and expressionless, before exiting the room. It was time for him to get ready. Jay tried not to get this assignment bother him that much. He should be used to killing people. This wasn't any different. And he couldn't afford to mess up again, like last time. With these thoughts, Jay made his way to the armory to get ready. On his way he was forced to pass by the kitchen, a place he had been avoiding for a while... He could still hear Noah's voice trying to cheer him up, and just the thought of that pained him. Noah wouldn't want him to go on this mission. Noah disapproved of what he was forced to do...

"..."

The hour passed quickly, and finally it was time to head to the Legacy. Jay didn't know why it was that his stomach churched so painfully, so forebodingly, as they approached the Legacy. But he was about to find out.

Once they arrived at Legacy, one of the ninjas seemed to have received instructions straight from Solon, despite the fact that Jay was supposed to be leading the mission. The ninja informed Jay about the small bustling town of Werites Beacon and pointed the way to the hideout.

They arrived at an old abandoned fort that looked rundown and messy. As soon as they did though, the guard at the entrance immediately spotted the ninjas. He hurried to turn around and rush back inside, about to scream a warning. "Kill him." his fellow ninja urged Jay.

Jay did so without hesitation of course. He took out a dagger and threw it, watching it swiftly cut through the air. It slashed open the stranger's neck, making blood gush through the air. The man fell lifelessly to the floor, continuing to bleed there. "Let's go." Jay told the others tonelessly, continuing forward.

The teen was dead before he hit the floor. He couldn't be more than sixteen. But because of his death, the ninjas were able to enter silently. One down, nine to go. Two ninjas in the group with Jay dispatched two more guards silently. They were as young as the first. But then a loud gonging was heard. "They pulled the alarm. We've been spotted. We must move quickly." the ninja said, looking at Jay. "There are seven more we must kill."

"Tch," Jay narrowed his eyes at this. "Let's hurry." And so they did. However they weren't able to find any more guards on their own. This didn't surprise Jay. They must've gathered together after they heard the alarm. He had to give his target some credit. This one certainly wasn't stupid.

Jay and his ninjas continued to search where they were hiding, when finally they heard some voices coming from a nearby room. Jay motioned the others to be silent and listen. They peered inside the room and Jay was surprised to see...Noah. His heart dropped to his stomach. What the hell... what the hell has he doing here?

_Master... why?_

"There are six of them!" one of the guards told Noah fervently. "Tyler, Doko, and Yama are already dead!" Noah bit his lip and looked at the blue-haired male next to him. "Csaba, we have to get them before they find us." He grabbed the spear at his side. The one that had saved his life on the sinking ship. With his other hand, he felt the small bell in a pouch attached to his belt.

"It might be too late, Noah..." The boy named Csaba looked at the door that was ajar. The five guards turned around and held their weapons ready, making a wall between the ninjas and Noah and Csaba.

Even though Jay knew they had been spotted, he couldn't move. He was frozen in place. What was Noah doing on the Legacy? ...Why, why did it have to be him? The grip on his dagger tightened as he felt himself trembling ever so slightly. He couldn't do this. He wouldn't!

Seeing Jay's hesitation, the ninja took control, ordering the others to attack. Within minutes, the five guards were dead, though they had taken three ninjas with them. When the five guards down, Noah jumped out to attack one of the ninjas. He killed him and dodged a knife throw from the other. Csaba had to stay back. He wasn't a very good fighter.

"Stop it... stop it!" Jay protested. He felt backed into a corner. What could he do now? He couldn't kill Noah, and he didn't want to see him die either. As he saw one of his fellow ninjas begin to attack the redhead, Jay couldn't help but to get in the way of this attack, using his dagger to hold the other back. There was no going back now. By doing this he had turned his back on his Master.

He didn't dare imagine what he would do to him if he found out...

Noah froze, staring with wide eyes. "J.. Jay..!"

"What do you think you're doing?" the ninja growled at him. "The Master wants him dead! Are you going to defy the Master?" He gripped two daggers and threw them straight at Jay. But with a _thunk!_ they stabbed straight into the handle of Noah's spear as he moved forward to Jay's defense. "Don't you dare hurt him!" Noah growled.

Jay cringed at his Master's mention. "Shut up!" he hissed at the other, not wanting to think of it. There was no way he could let his Master found out... luckily the rest of the ninjas had already died in battle... there was only one more to take care of. But first... "Idiot..!" he yelled at the redhead. "What are you still doing here? Run away!" he scowled at the other as he began his assault on his now-former comrades.

Noah growled slightly before he turned to the blue-haired boy. "Get out of here, Csaba! Now!" he said. Csaba nodded and ran out the door. But before Noah could move after him, the ninja moved fast. He threw a smoke bomb and immediately rushed forward, stabbing Jay in the leg to cripple him.

"Jay! Jay where are you?" Noah coughed, staying at the entrance to the room. But this was his mistake. The ninja jumped out at him. Noah let out a yell as he felt horrible pain on his face. He staggered back, his hand over his left eye, blood gushing out between his fingers.

"NOAH!" Jay's voice resounded loudly in the room. He hissed at his wound but ignored it. He had to find Noah! He had to save him! He couldn't see that well through the smoke, but he thought he could spot his friend by the door.

Was that... blood? Jay coughed as the smoke seem to fill his lungs more rapidly than they should... and it was then that he noticed how heavily and desperately he had been breathing.

Noah was blinded. Another strike slammed the redhead against a wall, his head smacking against the glass of a window. It was raining. He could hear the thunder furiously crashing across the sky. He lifted his spear in an attempt to defend himself, but it did nothing. It was thrown to the side. "Die." the ninja growled. For a moment, Noah's senses were heightened. He could hear the knife cutting the air as it headed towards him. He did the only thing he could think of. Noah threw open the window and turned. The knife buried itself in his back as he jumped out of the second story window. A loud crash of thunder sounded as he landed heavily on the grass below. He didn't move.

_"NOO!"_ Jay's scream pierced the heavens in its anguish. The smoke had cleared up at this moment, showing the boy a scene that will haunt him for the rest of his life. Noah, bloodied, desperate, falling out the window to his own demise. He saw the knife connect at the other's back, saw it draw blood, heard the body hit the ground with a crash...

Jay had never felt this kind of grief before.

It overwhelmed him and took over his body. He felt his cheeks wet with his own tears, falling and falling as if they would never stop. All Jay knew was that one second he was frozen, watching this horrifying scene, and the next his body was splattered in the bastard's blood, his hand still clutching the bloodied dagger as his whole body shook and shook. "Noah... No... nooo! Why?" Jay cried out to the empty room. Everyone in here was dead, save him. "You idiot... you idiot... why did you have to die..."

* * *

Not to worry ladies and gents! Moses shall make his appearance next chapter~!


	2. Chapter 2

One Year Later...

So much had happened over the past year. Moses' bandits explored forests, climbed mountains, and braved battlefields. But now, it was time for a nap. Moses yawned loudly as he crashed on Will's couch. Will was currently on the mainland and had asked Moses and Jay to house-sit. Of course, Moses wouldn't be able to do it by himself. Something the redhead joyously stayed oblivious of.

But as the redheaded bandit snored there, laid out on the couch, he had a dream. A dream of a rainy night. Shadows were rushing at him. Then suddenly, blood. It was always at that moment that Moses would wake up. He stared at the ceiling, frowning slightly at the nightmare he had nearly every night. He wondered if it had something to do with the time before he got amnesia... A fact that he never told any of his comrades. Only Csaba knew this.

Jay sighed in annoyance as he walked to Will's house again. He couldn't believe he was stuck house-sitting with that idiot! He wondered why in the world Will had decided to make Moses help him out with this, as just himself would've been enough.

When he finally arrived at the house Jay couldn't help but to glare at the door. He now wished he had taken longer buying the groceries... Jay didn't know why he always disliked being in the bandit's presence so much. Ever since he had met him, he made him have this strange feeling that drove him crazy! Everything about Moses annoyed him. From his red hair, to his voice... to the very way he acted.

It was kind of familiar... hah, more like Moses was way too familiar with everyone. Who wouldn't get uncomfortable by that? With a sigh, Jay finally pushed open the door and announced his arrival.

Moses sat up and grinned. "Welcome back!" he responded. Jay... Out of all the members of their group, Jay was the one that Moses liked the best. There was just something about him that felt so nice. He leaned back on the couch, his hands behind his head. "Hey, need help?" he asked, watching Jay carry the groceries. Moses' feet were propped up on the coffee table in front of the couch, looking quite comfortable and lazy.

Jay snorted at the other's offer. "No thanks. I would hate to have to run to get more food just because you decided to do something stupid while I'm not looking." he told him as he headed towards the kitchen. He sighed as he entered the kitchen, annoyed that he had to be here in the first place. He had other responsibilities to take care of... and now he had to leave those responsibilities to the Oresoren, whom with he'd have to meet later to receive a report. There had been some suspicious activity as of late, and he really had wanted to investigate it on his own... but it didn't seem to be that serious so far, and he couldn't turn down Will's offer... Jay owed it to him.

"Oh, come on~" Moses grinned and now seemed determined to help. He stood and headed towards the kitchen. He grabbed a bag and reached into it curiously before pulling out an apple. "Ooh, yum." he grinned, making sure to hold the bag and fruit out of Jay's reach.

"Idiot." Jay growled at the other, but did nothing else to rise the bait. He knew that if he tried to reach for the bag, the other would surely start making fun of his height... or lack thereof. For some reason a wave of nostalgia hit him then, but he pushed that feeling away, just like he had been doing since over a year ago. Ever since he had escaped Solon's grasp, he had done his best to try to forget everything that had happened to him before. He refused to dwell on it even for a second. He had a new life now, and he wanted nothing to do with his old one. Jay began putting the food away, not noticing that he had become unusually silent.

Moses looked at Jay for a moment before biting into the apple and putting the bag down. "Hey, Jay. What's with the long face?" He put his hand on Jay's head with a smile. "Come on. There's nothing going on. The Legacy is safe and everything's good. So relax!"

Jay's frowned at the other's carefree attitude. "Just because there's nothing going on at the moment, doesn't mean that we should let our guards down." Especially now, Jay thought. Most of their friends were back at the Mainland at the moment. Chloe due to knight business, Will and Harriet were visiting her mother's grave, Norma had gone off on another treasure-hunting adventure, and Senel had even left Shirley here in her village while he went back to the Mainland, to 'tie up some lose ends'; (Jay suspected it had something more to do with Chloe's departure, himself.) At this time, it would be easy for someone to strike at them... and there was only Moses and himself left here to protect the Legacy. Just thinking about it gave Jay a headache.

Moses looked at him before sighing slightly. It looked as if he was about to submit and become serious... but then he spoke. "If you keep stressing out over little things, you're going to stay little forever." he teased with a mock-concerned frown.

Fwosh! Jay's dagger swiftly cut through the air and landed on the wall beside Moses' neck. "Hm?" he voiced innocently. "Did you say something?" he asked lightly as he finished putting away his purchases.

"Ahaha..." Moses froze at the knife that was suddenly inches away from his neck and quivering in the wall from the recent throw. "Nah. Nothing." he said with a nervous laugh. Then he grinned. "Just maybe that Will won't like a hole in his wall." he teased again. It seems that along with his memory, Moses had forgotten the limits of teasing his little Jay.

Jay turned around and smirked evilly at the redhead. "I'm sure he wouldn't," he agreed smoothly. "So if I were you, and thank heavens I'm not, I wouldn't make any more holes in this house. Although, I'm sure that's a hard request to make to a savage like you." Jay smirked.

"What?" Moses pulled out the knife and pointed to the hole. "But that's totally your fault!" He gave Jay a pout, seemingly unaffected by the threat. "You're so..." Moses stopped, trying to think of the word. "Ninja..y...?" The redhead was lost in thought for a moment before he nodded, satisfied with his choice in words.

Jay fought the urge to roll his eyes at that particular remark. He couldn't help but to still be in awe at the stupid things that could come out of the bandit's mouth! However just as he was about to make a snarky reply of his own, his eyes shifted towards the window, more specifically, to what was happening beyond it. What were the Oresoren doing here so early, he wondered, already beginning to worry.

Moses looked at Jay before following his eyes and looking out the window. "Oh, hey. Aren't those the Oresoren you live with?" He went and opened up the door. Quppo bounced in and smiled, lifting a paw in greeting. "Jay!" he squeaked. "We just came by to see how everything is!"

"Do you need anything, Jay?" Pippo chimed in.

"We can help if you need it!" Poppo concluded.

"Everything's fine for now. But thanks for coming over." Jay told them, smiling slightly. He was a little more at ease at their cheerful greeting, however he still wanted to ask if they had found out anything that he should be aware of... but first he needed (more like wanted) to get rid of Moses. And as if the heavens were on his side, at this moment one of Moses' men arrived, a slightly worried look on his face. "Boss!" he called out to the redhead. "I'm glad I found you... a fight broke out back at the camp and it's not looking very good... Could you come back to talk some sense into them?" he asked him. "I tried to look for Csaba, but it seems he was last seen headed to the Forest of No Return for some reason..."

Moses' expression changed to one of concern. "Alright, I'm coming." He looked back at the ninja. "Hey, Jay. I'll be back as soon as I can. Don't miss me too much!" he gave Jay a grin before running off with the bandit, heading for the camp. "Tell me what's goin on." he could be heard saying as he walked off.

The otters watched Moses leave before Pippo was the first to speak. "Jay. Other Oresoren are saying that they're seeing weird people on the Legacy. That they don't smell right."

Jay frowned at the Oresoren's words. "Weird people?" he asked, "Any distinguishable features? How many of them?" he asked, his mind already calculating possibilities.

Quppo was the first one to speak up. "They don't look any different but they just don't smell like the Legacy."

"At first there weren't that many. But there's been a lot more lately. We got worried and came to check on you." Pippo admitted.

"Do you know where they were last spotted?" Jay asked them, already thinking of paying a visit to the place himself. This seemed rather worrisome... and it just had to happen at a time like this.

"Well, a lot of them are around here." Poppo fidgeted slightly. "That's why we got so worried!" Quppo hopped a little closer to Jay. "You're sure everything's okay, right?"

"What?" Jay asked, startled. He hadn't expected that answer! "Here, in Werites Beacon?" he asked for confirmation. Jay frowned, berating himself for not noticing anything strange when he was out earlier. He had left his guard down... He growled quietly, annoyed at this slip. He was growing soft... this really shouldn't have caught him so off-guard.

The three Oresoren looked at each other with worry before looking back at Jay. "Don't be too hard on yourself, Jay. If we couldn't smell as good as we could, we wouldn't have spotted them either!" Quppo said quickly.

Jay softened his face ever so slightly and tried not to look so worried. Their words didn't really make him feel any better, but he didn't want them to know that. "I know," he told them. "Don't worry."

An unpleasant knot was beginning to form in his stomach. He needed to go out and investigate this himself. He had a bad feeling about this for some reason... But he didn't let that show. "You guys should head home for now. I'll contact you guys later." he told them.

The Oresoren looked at him and nodded. "Okay." Pippo said. "Be careful, Jay." The three otters hugged Jay before they left Will's house. It wasn't long though before there was a loud knock at the door. It was almost panicked and quick.

Jay frowned wondering who it was now. The knock had sounded worried, but no one had called out. Was Moses back already? Maybe something had happened...? The ninja hurried towards the door to open it, ignoring the foreboding feeling in his stomach.

It was one of the bandits under Moses' care. He stared wide eyed at Jay, shocked and pale. "J..Ja..." he breathed before blood began to leak out of the corner of his mouth. His eyes glazed over and he fell to his knees before falling flat, dead. There was a knife in his back that looked eerily familiar. A knife that Jay hadn't seen for an entire year.

"H-hey...!" Jay protested, jumping back when the bandit fell dead at his feet. His limbs began to shake at the sight of that knife... Solon's knife. "...No...no!" Jay closed his eyes in misery. "I'm such an idiot, how could I have been so stupid...!" he immediately began blaming himself. Ever since he had befriended the group.. he had gotten so careless... His life on the Legacy had consisted of him hiding around, being "The Unseen"... but with everything that had happened lately... of course his Master would find him! His eyes snapped open then. "Moses!" he breathed horrified.

Without another thought, he began to run to the lighthouse, where the redhead should be. On his way he noticed how quiet the town had become... he hadn't noticed earlier, another mistake. "Dammit...!" he growled, trying to shake away the images his mind was suddenly supplying him with. That day, that night, when everything went wrong. The night Noah had died... It had been so long since he had really thought of his dead friend. He had blocked out those memories out, not wanting to deal with them. But the seams were tearing at the very thought that Moses could suffer the same fate.

The camp was deserted. The bandits were all either unconscious or dead. All of them had knife wounds. Others had their skin tinged green from poison. But there was one who was still aware. Csaba was bleeding profusely from a wound on his thigh. He screamed in pain every time he moved but he gripped the fence, trying to stand. Then he spotted Jay. "Jay!" he cried out. "Moses..! They took Moses!"

"Csaba!" Jay made to rush over and help him, but Csaba's words made stop in his tracks. It was as if someone had punched him in his stomach, because he suddenly doubled over and fell on his knees. "W-what...?" he croaked, not wanting to believe it. Moses... had been taken. And Jay knew exactly who had done it. "No..." he moaned, his body trembling. "No...!" he yelled, clutching at his head.

It was just like then... just like last time. Bodies piled up, dead, injured... and someone important to him...gone.

"J-Jay!" Csaba's voice was full of pain. "We have to.. Ah..." Csaba lost his grip and fell down to the floor, his blood coating the grass. "You... You have to go after them.. Get Moses back.. They'll kill him, Jay..." He was growing weaker and his voice was mere whispers.

Csaba's pained voice somehow managed to snap him out of his remembrance. Shakily, he got up to his feet and approached the injured man. "I-idiot, don't strain yourself." Jay scolded him with a numb voice, as he performed some quick first aid on the other. Meanwhile all he could think was, _He's going to die... he's going to die..._ and _Damn you Solon.._ "Dammit..." he murmured aloud.

"Why did that idiot have to get kidnapped..." his voice broke a little, not sounding as angry as he had wanted it to be.

"They were after him..." Csaba was able to regain just a bit of strength. "Jay.. I... Not even Moses knows this but, he's known you far before the Legacy was ever involved..." he murmured before coughing violently.

"W-what?" Jay's eyes widened at this, "What the hell are you talking about?" he asked, startled. His heart thumped loudly, too loudly.

"I was there that night, remember..?" Csaba spoke softly. "When Noah died.. I watched him jump from the window..." Csaba closed his eyes for a moment before he looked at Jay. "Noah never died. I got him to the hospital in time..."

Jay's hands dropped at his sides, his body numb with his surprise. "Noah..." he breathed, his eyes unfocused as he remembered his old friend... and compared it to the appearance Moses now had. "That's... impossible..." he found himself saying in his shock. But he already knew it was the truth. He _did_ remember Csaba then... although the man had changed over the past year. No signs of the weak boy he was over a year ago. Now, despite his extensive injuries, was a man who's been fighting along Moses this whole time. "No..." Jay moaned again. He had been alongside Noah this whole time... and now, now that he knew, Noah was going to be taken away from him again.

"He doesn't know... When he woke up at the hospital, he woke up with amnesia." Csaba continued. "I couldn't... I couldn't tell him the truth..." he gulped. "If I had told him he was running from a group of ninjas, one of which was his best friend... he'd have panicked. He was like a kid, Jay... I.. I was the one who made Moses. I gave him a new identity... so he could live peacefully..." his breath was shaky. "But he still.. has the bell... Your bell. He told me that he doesn't know why.. he keeps it... He just knows that it's very important..."

Jay shook his head at Csaba's words. He didn't want to listen to this... he didn't want to know... All of this was opening up his old wounds again, of Noah, of Solon... At Csaba's last words however, Jay stilled again. "My... bell..." Jay hadn't know.. he had no idea Noah had tried to steal it back for him. "Idiot.." he whispered to himself then, his hands clutching at his clothes. Was that why Solon had ordered him to kill him? Because he had stolen from him? No... even if that had been the catalyst, Solon would've have made him kill him anyway, because Jay had cared... Because Noah made Jay feel like a human.

"They headed for the Mirage Castle, Jay... Please.. You have to go after them... They'll kill Moses if you don't..." Csaba gripped Jay's sleeve as he spoke. "I'll.. be okay... Just hurry and go..."

Mirage Castle... Jay closed his eyes and nodded. "I'll send my people to help you guys out." he told him as he shakily got up to his feet. "I'll rescue him... I promise." he told him. _Even if it kills me,_ he thought to himself. He wouldn't let him die this time, he vowed. And then he was gone.

* * *

Moses woke up with a horrible headache. It was pounding with pain and he groaned slightly, feeling as bad as that one time he and his bandits had spent all night partying. He went to massage his head.. but his hands wouldn't move. Moses' eye snapped open. His hands were tied firmly behind his back and a cloth was tied around his head, firmly between his teeth. His ankles were also tied together. Moses struggled for a few moments before he felt a cold shiver. He sensed someone in the room. Someone... horrible. A low chuckle sounded to his left, but when Moses looked, there was no one there. There was suddenly a kick from his right. Moses grunted as the hard shoe connected with his side. His body wanted to slump over to the side, but Moses didn't allow himself.

"I finally found you." Solon smirked down at the redhead. "And soon... My little Jay will follow." At this, Moses snarled through the gag. He thrashed, trying to throw himself against Solon, but Solon took a step back, causing Moses to fall uselessly on the floor.

Jay's mind was a mess. A complete utter mess. He didn't know what to think, how to feel... everything that had just happened threatened to overwhelm him. All he could do was run. He had to save "Moses." Jay had done his best to clear his mind and his tone when he had alerted the Oreorsen, as well as a few other contacts he had in the Legacy about what had happened at the lighthouse. They should be heading there already, tending to the injured...burying the dead.

But now that he was dealing with one, all he could think about was his Mas- about Solon. His body was struggling between the two biggest forces, instincts. The ones that yelled at him to run away, far away, where Solon couldn't find him. And the ones that told him to hurry the hell up, to save Moses... he couldn't let him die this time! Jay almost didn't notice that he was almost at his destination, so far he was in his thoughts. But then, his ninja honed instincts alerted him of various presences nearby. Solon's men.. _What was I thinking, coming here all alone_, a small part of him berated him. It had been a stupid move. _No, _another part of him said, one that sounded very much like Moses' voice, _this was the right thing to do._

Jay approached the place more cautiously now. He needed to find where Moses was being kept.

The ninjas watched Jay from the shadows but did not attack. Instead, they moved as easily as shadows in the night. They blocked certain paths with knife throws and glares as well as opening other paths with a sense of security. They were herding Jay towards where Solon was. By the time Jay would arrive, Solon stood there, Moses flat on his stomach and Solon's heel grinding into a familiar-looking scar on the bandit's back.

At the sight of the two, Jay's body struggled again, wanting to flee, to tremble at the sight of his Mas- of Solon. He had to will his body still then, and with a cold fury, he let his dagger fly to the other man.

Solon caught the dagger swiftly between two fingers. "My, My, My... Your time on the Legacy has really softened you. Do you really think that you can win against me? Your teacher?" he smirked wide, walking over to Jay. In a swift movement, he tossed the dagger up, caught it by the handle, and swiped a small shallow cut onto Jay's cheek.

Jay stumbled back once, the cut at his cheek stinging with nostalgia. He glared up at the other man, refusing to show any fear. "W-why are you here?" he demanded, ignoring the way his voice wavered and the way his hand trembled slightly. He clenched it tight into a fist.

"To give you a second chance, of course." Solon smirked. "Your last assignment ended in failure." He grabbed Jay's chin and made him look at Moses. "I'm sure you've noticed. Your dear little friend. That boy that caused you so much trouble, so much pain. If it wasn't for him, why you'd be at my right hand by now. You'd be the sharpest knife. The most useful. But because of him, you are nothing. Pathetic to everyone. You have no use." Solon smirked a bit wider. "Kill him, and everything will be forgiven." Moses glared at Solon and shook his head furiously, yelling muffled curse words through the cloth. He chewed on the cloth and pushed at it, trying to get it out of his mouth.

Jay flinched at the other's touch, feeling disgust at his words. Although a very small part of him told him to listen to him. To come back to his Master's care. The part that haunted him at night and told him he was worthless... that he was nothing. Jay swallowed thickly and he pushed the other's hand off of him. "Never." he defied him, glaring at him and palming another one of his knives.

Immediately, Solon smacked Jay across the face and Moses' yells became louder and possibly more crude. Solon grabbed Jay and shoved him roughly against a wall before kneeing him in the stomach. "It's useless to fight, Jay. I may have taught you everything you know, but I didn't teach you everything I know. I can easily beat you down without taking out my knife." he said lowly, a wide smirk stretching across his features.

"Agh...!" Jay coughed, heaved rather, at the force of Solon's blows. God it hurt... this pain... he hated this pain. "Bas...tard..." he wheezed, because he was past the point of being scared... at least for now.

Solon chuckled slightly before he grabbed Jay's ponytail and pulled him over. He threw him to the ground in front of Moses and put his foot right on Jay's back. "Moses, is that your name now? Do you remember little Jay?" he asked him, putting more pressure on Jay's back as he did. "You ruined his chances at becoming a proper ninja. Not only that, but your interference made me have to punish him on a daily basis." Solon then held up the pouch that used to be on Moses' belt. The redhead growled and narrowed his good eye. Solon pulled out the small silver bell and dangled it over the two boys. "This belongs to Jay. You stole it from me." Moses glared at Solon before his expression softened slightly. He looked at Jay before looking back at the bell... And then it seemed to come back to him. Everything returned. The memory of Jay lying on his bed, broken and injured. It flashed in his mind, before it all seemed to disappear again, avoiding his grasp. The only thing that stayed clear was that image. And that it was all his fault. Moses didn't realize that his expression had gone slack, almost shocked, as he stared at the silver bell as if it was hypnotizing him.

Jay too stared at the item in Solon's hand, a longing expression spreading across his face. It had been too long since he had seen his precious bell... that too had been something that he had done his best to try to forget. But now.. his eyes strayed to Moses, who's expression made his stomach twist. The other must've remembered by now, all the horrible things he had said that day.. what he had done.. "Noah..." he called out to him, looking at him sadly. If only Jay had never met him... Solon never needed to have come to his life and ruin it this way...

Hearing Jay's voice say this name... It felt strangely familiar. But the memories were fading by the second. They were being locked away once more and all that remained was this overwhelming and crushing _guilt. _The redhead slowly looked away from the bell and looked at Jay. He couldn't speak but his expression said it all. _"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."_

Solon looked at the two and smirked. He put the bell back into the pouch and grabbed Jay's ponytail, pulling him back up. "Do you see him, Jay?" He gripped Jay's face, forcing him to look at Moses who was no longer struggling against his bonds. "His entire group of bandits is dead. His pet abandoned him. And he just found out that everything he thought he knew was a lie. A fake identity. Moses Sandor... does not exist." his words were more for the redhead at his feet than the ninja being held firmly in his grasp.

The bandit didn't look up, instead, he stared straight at the floor. "Tell me, Jay. Do you think he has the will to continue living?" Solon said, stroking Jay's cheek soothingly. "Do you think you're doing him a favor by letting him live? He has nothing left.

"Kill him."

Jay hissed as Solon dragged him up by his hair. At seeing Moses expression he faltered. He had never seen that expression on the redhead's face before, not as Moses.. nor as Noah.

His stomach churched in guilt and unease as he wondered what was going through the other's mind. At Solon's words though, Jay attempted to struggle out of the ninja's grasp. "Never!" he vowed vehemently before biting the other's hand in an attempt to be released.

When Jay bit him, Solon hissed and threw Jay to the floor. He kicked Jay in the stomach and side multiple times before looking at the bite mark on his hand and giving it a lick. "You know, Jay. I don't think I've ever gotten this angry before." he said as Moses started yelling again. Solon strode over to the redhead and put his foot on his head, pressing it down into the floor. Moses bit into the cloth, refusing to let any sound of pain pass through. "In fact, I'm so angry I might just start talking to myself. Don't pay this any mind. I'm just thinking.

"The Oresoren, was it?" Solon's expression contorted to a large smirk. "I wonder what color their blood is."

Jay hissed when he landed on the floor. He cried out loudly as Solon kicked him furiously on his side. But then the pain stopped...

Jay looked up and through blurry eyes saw Solon pressing Moses down again. "S-stop... it." he protested, trying to ignore his body's aching injuries.

And then, he froze at the words. All of his rage, his anger, froze. He became very, very scared.

The Oresoren... They had taken him in, taken care of him... The image of them dead at Solon's feet terrified him.

Oh, it felt so good. Seeing Jay's expression just like it had been a year ago. Wide-eyed, scared, and submissive. It made Solon's smirk grow ever larger. "I'm getting excited just thinking about it. Little otters running in panic, screaming and crying. Begging for their lives as they die. I'm sure it'll be a marvelous sight!" Solon laughed heartily.

"YOU SICK BASTARD!" Moses had finally gotten the cloth out of his mouth. Solon lifted his foot off the other's head and snapped his fingers. "JAY! DON'T YOU LISTEN TO THIS ASS-MMPH!" Two ninjas seemingly came out of nowhere and put the cloth back in place, tighter than before, before disappearing once more.

Jay shook as Solon continued to torture him with his words. He felt so helpless... so powerless. The feeling fortified as he saw the ninjas pop in to tie Moses up again...

He felt himself begin to give up on it all..

Perfect. This was exactly what he wanted. "There's nothing you can do, Jay." Solon said, walking over to the young ninja on the floor. "You must realize by now that the bandit will not leave here alive. Whether he dies by my hand, or yours... That is your choice.

"And after he is dead, you will return to the mainland with me." Solon took out his knife. "You have five seconds to decide whether or not you kill him. And I guarantee that I will make his death slow and painful." he smirked then. "The Oresoren's as well."

Jay felt completely cornered... He didn't want Moses to die... He didn't want anyone to die. But what choice did he have now? There was nothing he could do..

He stared at his Master's knife in front of him, knowing that once he took hold of it, there was no going back. He would be his Master's forever.

Jay's eyes then drifted forwards Moses' face, his furious expression. Jay knew there was no way he could kill him. And Jay also knew his Master wouldn't let the Oresoren live either, no matter what he did.

There was a resigned expression on his face as he turned to look at his Master. He was going to lose everything...

Without another thought, his hand reached for the blade, its cold heavy weight fueling him to do this. He looked into Moses' eyes with cold determination, "I'm sorry..." he told him, and "Goodbye.."

And then the knife hit flesh. Not Moses', but his own.

Moses watched Jay deliberate and think. He knew Jay wouldn't kill him. But when he grabbed the knife, a small flicker of doubt surfaced. He listened to Jay's words and looked into his eyes. A second before it happened, he knew.

Moses let out a scream as he watched Jay stab himself. The redhead thrashed in his bonds before he managed to pull out a hand. It was red and irritated with rope burns. He ripped off the gag before pushing himself over. "Jay! Dammit! And you call me stupid! What are you thinking?"

Solon watched this, his expression devoid of emotion. He didn't move from the spot where he stood.

Jay breathed slowly, ignoring the way his stomach ached due to the wound he had just made. He bit his lip as he felt his blood trickle out of wound, dripping into the floor. As Moses reached his side he couldn't help but to want to snark at the other, for old times' sake. But instead he shot him a worried look. "I-idiot... What are you still doing here?" he berated him.

Jay's eyes turned to peer at Solon, enjoining the blank expression in his face. He knew the other hadn't expected him to do that. It made Jay happy knowing he has defied him in the end, had deprived him of owning him again.

If only Will were here, or dammit, even Bubbles! They'd be able to heal Jay. But Moses.. he couldn't do anything. "I can't leave you like this.." he frowned, using a blade to cut the ropes on his ankles. He pulled Jay close, holding the small ninja securely against his chest. As he stood to run out and get Jay to a safe place, Solon spoke.

"You won't leave here alive. I have no further use for you and the moment you leave this room, my men will kill you in a matter of seconds." the man spoke in a dangerous sounding monotone. Moses growled slightly, holding Jay tightly. The chances of him living were slim to none. But he had to save Jay.

"Screw you." Moses spat before he ran out of the room.

But no attacks came. In fact, there were unconscious ninjas littering the halls.

Jay closed his eyes as he felt Moses pick him up. He too knew that the moment they tried to escape, they would die.

But... It didn't end up happening that way at all.

"Sandor!" Chloe's voice called out in the distance.

"Heya Red!" Norma waved at then with a smile... at least before she noticed the state they were both in. Her eyes widened in shock then, and she hurried over towered Jay's side to heal him.

"Demon Fist!" Senel sent a burst of energy towards the last of the ninjas who fell to the ground with a cry.

Moses stared wide-eyed at this heavenly sight. He even laughed slightly. He put Jay down to allow Norma to heal him and passed a hand over Jay's forehead, looking at him softly. So his name wasn't really Moses. Noah... He wondered who Noah was. Who he had been to Jay.

"Oh my." Grune hurried over and bent down over Jay. "Wakey wakey, Jay! This is no time for a nap." she smiled happily.

Jay fluttered his eyes open as he felt his injuries being healed. He stared at Norma in confusion, before turning it to the rest of the others. Everyone was here... The fact kind of dumbfounded him in surprise. "H-how...?" he found himself murmuring, flinching as he felt the last of his self-inflicted cut sealed shut.

Moses grinned as Jay was healed. "Nice to have you back, little bro." he said cheerfully.

Senel walked over. "The Oresoren told us about the weird people on the Legacy and we all came back as soon as we could." he said before giving him a smile. "I knew it wasn't a good idea leaving you and Moses alone."

"What a quaint sight." a cold voice interrupted their reunion.

Moses stood immediately, standing defensively in front of Jay as he glared at Solon.

Solon chuckled slightly. "I will say that I didn't see this coming. Those little otters are more trouble than they're worth."

Jay gulped seeing his Master reappear. He felt a little braver now that mostly everyone was here, but couldn't help but to feel apprehensive.

Chloe frowned at the man's tone, already disliking the guy, even more so as she saw the usually unshakable Jay actually afraid. She gripped her sword tightly, ready to fight him if necessary.

"Who the heck is this old man?" Norma frowned as well. This guy was giving off some major creep-vibes.

Senel glared, taking a fighting stance, the tips of his fingers glowing ever so slightly as he readied for battle.

"I am Jay's master of course. His teacher. I raised the boy." Solon looked at Jay giving a sickly sweet smile. "You didn't tell them about me? I'm so disappointed."

"Don't talk to him, you sick bastard." Moses growled, stepping right into the line of vision between Solon and Jay. He wished he had his spear...

Jay looked down at the floor and said nothing in response to that. He struggled against his old instincts once more, the ones that reminded him of just who had taken him in, just who had raised him. He could hear Solon's voice in his head berating him for running off, for being an _'ungrateful thing.'_

And while Norma looked more than a little creeped out by Solon's revelation, Chloe was more surprised at Moses' language (but she had a feeling this wasn't the time to protest about it). It actually made her more worried than before, wondering what these two have been through while the rest of them got here.

Of course, when they _wanted_ Will around, he wasn't here, Senel scoffed to himself. "Listen. We don't care who you are. You better clear out now."

"You will talk like that to the man who has assassins stationed all across the Legacy?" Solon smirked. "I even have a few posing in the very village where the Merines is kept."

Senel stared at Solon, faltering for a moment. Shirley... was she okay?

"Not to mention, I have quite the information network on the mainland. I'm sure that the knights wouldn't appreciate you abandoning them again, Chloe Valens." Solon continued. "And also the failed boss of his band of bandits. All of whom are probably dead at this very moment."

Moses paled and gritted his teeth. He did his best to keep the anguish from his expression.

Chloe too faltered for just a second at Solon's threats. His words had hit her hard, making her lips thin into a frown.

Norma glared daggers at the older ninja. Who did he think he was, she growled, taking a step forward. However, just as she was about to cast some major pain on the old man, a small hand grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

Jay had heard enough.

"Don't." he told her, still staring at the ground. "Don't." he repeated again, louder this time, and directed to someone else. He got back up to his feet, although a bit wobbly, and let go of Norma's wrist. "Please don't, M-master." Jay hesitated calling him by that title again, it was a struggle to do so. He took a step forward then, past Moses, but then froze there. His body refused to walk any closer to his Master. "I..." he tried to speak then, but couldn't.

"Hm? What is it, my dear apprentice?" Solon said with a smirk. He put his hand under his chin as he looked at Jay with an almost predatory expression.

"Jay.. What do you think you're doing?" Moses frowned, reaching forward and putting a hand on Jay's shoulder.

Jay didn't shrug the hand off, for instead of making him falter in his decision, it helped strengthen it. "If.. if I leave with you..." he began, hoping the other would allow him to bargain with him for once. "Do you promise to leave them all alone? Everyone?" he finished with a much lower voice. Jay knew that the bargain had to have at least some appeal. After all, although not stated, it was more than implied that Jay would do anything, anything in exchange for everyone's life. Not to mention that while Solon was probably strong enough to beat them all, his current amount of ninjas in the Legacy had been decimated already.

"Jay!" Moses' eyes widened and he grabbed Jay's shoulders more firmly. "What are you talking about? We can handle this guy no sweat! You don't have to do this!"

Solon ignored Moses' protests and thought about it for a moment. "If I accept, then we will leave for the ship immediately. There will be no more disobedience and you will follow my every order. Are we clear, Jay?"

"Jay.. Don't." Moses spoke softly.

Jay ignored him (although it was hard, so hard, cause all he could think of was that time when Noah had urged him to run away with him). "Crystal," he began to respond. But he was barely able to get the word out, because at that moment, a Will-worthy hit landed on the back of his head.

"You idiot!" Norma frowned at him. "You think we're going to let you go off with that creep that easily?" She shuddered comically then. "No way, JJ. Don't even think about it!" she told him, before winking at Moses. "Better get him out of the way before he makes more trouble, Red." she told him, her hands doing a 'you-should-probably-throw-him-over-your-shoulder-or-something' motion.

"Sandor is right." Chloe frowned as well, feeling almost insulted at the implications of Jay's request. "There's no way we can lose against someone as despicable as that." She narrowed her eyes, her determination and chivalry returning at full force.

With every word from his comrades, Moses' confidence returned. He grinned and scooped Jay up in his arms. "You got it, Bubbles. No one's breaking this family apart!"

"Not even you, old man." Senel stood in front of Moses and Jay.

"I wouldn't like it very much if Jay left." Grune said softly with a gentle smile. "I'm sure Moses would feel awfully lonely too."

"Fine." Solon pulled out two knives and smirked wide. "It's been a while since I've had blood on my hands. This will be a nice exercise." He threw a knife straight at Senel who blocked it with his iron eres before charging forward with a battle cry.

Moses moved back, holding onto Jay. He couldn't fight without a weapon.

But it was as if the heavens heard him and a spear was thrown from a rooftop, landing with a quiver next to Moses' feet. Moses looked up and his expression lit up. It was one of the surviving members of the bandits. He saluted Moses with a grin. "Csaba sends his regards!" he called before running off again. The relief almost crushed Moses' chest.

Chloe charged at Solon as well, side-by-side with Senel. Together, they did their best to focus Solon's attacks on them as Norma began casting in the back.

Grune also aided Norma with the casting, albeit with a bit more of a happy disposition than the others.

Meanwhile Jay stared almost in awe at their fight. Jay had originally struggled a little at Moses' hold, but as he watched everyone fight for his sake, his chest filled with warmth again... It made him feel wanted for once, cared for.

Moses looked at Jay with a bit of a smile, though nervous at leaving him alone. "We'll take care of him!" Moses turned around at the voice and grinned. "Alright. I'll leave little Jay in your paws!" he said. Quppo, Pippo, and Poppo saluted as if they were furry little soldiers.

Moses put Jay down beside the three Oresoren and gently placed a hand on Jay's shoulder. "I'll protect you." he said softly. "You can count on your big bro." Moses gave Jay one last grin before he turned and grabbed his spear, running at Solon to join the brawl.

Moses' gesture sent another wave of nostalgia surge through him. Jay watched him go, not sure if to feel happy or scared that Moses was joining in the battle. He felt restless, just waiting here. _Useless..._ Solon's voice came back to taunt him.

He shook his head to clear his mind of that thought before finally addressing the Oresoren. "Why did you guys come here?" he frowned at them. "You shouldn't be here!" He shook his head at them, didn't they know it was dangerous?

The three otters looked at Jay, slightly perplexed by his question. "But, we were worried about you, Jay." Pippo said.

"We had to come and see if you were alright!" Quppo chimed in.

"You're part of our family too, Jay!" Poppo said.

Jay wanted to keep on protesting, but the words seemed to be stuck at his throat as he heard their reasons. He felt.. happy.

The three Oresoren smiled happily at Jay. But the fight wasn't going so well. Solon was quick to find the rhythm and was soon dodging each attack with ease. He smirked at Moses' frustration as Solon dodged yet another attack of his. Then, he saw an opening. After Chloe did her attack, he used the fraction of a second to hurl a knife at her, aiming straight for her chest. Senel saw this and was quick to react. There wasn't enough time to use his eren, so instead, he blocked the knife with his own body.

"Augh!" Senel grunted as the knife lodged itself into his shoulder.

At that moment, time seemed to slow. Chloe saw the knife coming, knew that if she didn't dodge this one she would meet her end, but she couldn't move, there was no time.

And then- "Coolidge!" she cried out as she saw him take the hit for her. She watched him grimace in pain and her heart fluttered at her chest in worry. Her grip on her sword slacked then, but as she watched Norma slip him a gel, her shock turned into anger. Her grip tightened on her sword again and she glared at Solon, feeling her determination strengthen.

Senel gripped the handle of the knife and pulled it out of his arm with a wince before using the gel. He glanced back at Chloe, checking if she was okay, before he turned back to Solon.

However, Chloe's scream had brought Jay's attention back to them. He stared wide-eyed and worried as he saw Solon begin to overtake them all, just as he had predicted. "Dammit..." Jay whispered, clenching his fist in frustration.

He stood up then, his heart set and his eyes determined. "You guys wait here." he told the Oresoren, before rushing off to join the battle. No more, Jay thought as he glared at Solon's taunting face. He was not going to run away anymore. With that thought, he threw a well-aimed dagger in the older ninja's direction.

Solon caught the knife swiftly and looked at Jay with a grin. Then he began laughing. "It's amusing to see you all think you actually have a chance! You won't win!" Solon announced as he threw a total of three daggers at Jay.

Thunk, Thunk, Thunk!

Moses stood there with the three knives stuck in the handle of his spear. "You ain't touchin my little brother anymore, old man." He growled.

Jay had been prepared to dodge the incoming daggers, but was surprised to see none of them even get close enough. He ignored the way his face visibly flushed at Moses' words and actions, and instead focused on his target.

"I won't lose to you anymore!" Jay declared to him as he continued his assault with swift, practiced ease.

Solon easily continued to dodge the blows as the fight continued. But with all these attacks, he could never get a shot in. There was only one way he'd win. He'd have to fight dirty. In a quick motion, Solon kicked up dirt into Senel and Chloe's faces before throwing a smoke bomb and disappearing.

"Ack..!" Senel coughed as he got blinded. He furiously rubbed his face, his eyes watering.

Suddenly, Norma would feel a blade at her throat as Solon appeared behind her. He figured she would be the easiest to hold hostage since she was a crystal eren instead of iron. "Nobody takes a step." He smirked.

"Bubbles!" Moses growled, clenching his fists. "You dirty cheat!"

"Ugh..!" Chloe's eyes stung as the dirt made contact, making her falter. She blinked rapidly and tried to focus her blurry eyes at Moses' growl, and gasped when she saw what made him do so.

Norma laughed a little nervously at the predicament she was suddenly in. "Now, now-" she began to blabber, intending to distract him, but as she felt the knife press closer to her skin, she immediately shut up.

Jay on the other hand, had watched Solon begin to get desperate. He watched him sharply and alert, knowing he was about to pull a dirty move. When he saw Solon activate a smoke bomb, he did the same, and quickly dashed over to where he knew Solon would head to. This time, he didn't let his dagger fly off to his target, this time he would stab him himself.

Solon thought he had the upper hand. As he gazed on the frustrated and angered faces of the three fighters.. Wait... three?

Solon noticed a second too late that Jay wasn't in front of him. But the other's presence was announced as he felt the searing pain of a blade entering his flesh. Solon's eyes widened and he dropped the knife at Norma's neck. Senel was quick to run forward and grab the crystal eren, pulling her safely out of reach.

Solon fell to one knee, panting slightly as he began losing blood rapidly. Then, he smirked one last time. "Maybe I underestimated you, my dear apprentice. You did well in becoming an instrument... A tool. Almost.. too well..." he rasped out the last words.

Jay glared at Solon, not letting his words get to him this time. "You're wrong." he told him as he withdrew the blade from Solon's body. "With this, I've finally become human." Jay let the blade drop from the floor then, its ringing clatter resounding through the room, as if to finalize his words. As Jay watched his old Master die before him, he vowed then that this would be the end of it all.

With this, his past as a ninja was over.

Solon died moments after, the least breath that left him was a small chuckle. Moses watched Solon die before looking at Jay with a small smile. The redhead walked over and held out his hand for Jay's. "It's all over." he said softly. "You okay?"

Jay's eyes didn't leave Solon's body until he was sure the other had died. Once Moses approached him, his soft voice made him look up, and he couldn't help but to give the other a small smile. "Yeah, everything... everything is fine now." he murmured as he took the other's hand. He moved to step over Solon's body, wanting to check on how everyone else was doing, when his foot accidentally hit Solon's body. A soft familiar jingle rang across the room, making Jay stop in his tracks.

He slowly let go of Moses' hand, and as if in a trance, he bent down to search through Solon's pockets. Inside, he found the pouch Noah had kept the bell in all this time. He held it close to him, enjoying the familiar weight of his bell back on his hands. Jay smile turned more beautiful then, but only for a brief moment. When he stood back up he gave Moses a look that meant they would talk, but later.

He finally turned to address everyone else. "Everyone, thank you-" he began what might've been a touching moment, but Norma took that moment to tackle him to the ground. "Phew! Good timing, JJ! If it wasn't for you I'd be mincemeat!"

Moses watched Norma tackle Jay to the ground and let out a hearty laugh. But that image of Jay smiling so fondly. So beautifully... _I want to see him smile again. No.. I want to see him smiling forever. Jay deserves a life full of smiles._ Right there, Moses made a vow of his own. To be the best big brother Jay could ever have. "Come on, Bubbles! Get offa him. You're gonna squish poor little Jay!"

Senel laughed slightly as well at the sight before he looked at Chloe. There was a small twinge of discomfort left where Solon's knife had hit him. "Hey, you alright?" he said.

Chloe smiled at the others antics, but when Senel addressed her she couldn't help but to blush. "I..I'm fine." she stuttered, looking down shyly. "Thank you.." she told him, her eyes peeking upward to finally look at him. Her expression slowly turned more worried then. "Moreover, are you alright?" she asked him, wondering how the wound was doing.

Senel smiled softly at her before nodding. "Yeah, I'm fine. Norma took care of it." he said, stretching and moving his arm around to show her he was alright.

"I'm glad." Chloe smiled.

Norma pouted at Moses' words, but she did heed them. She got up from the now breathless and peeved Jay, who glared at her, but she ignored this, instead turning to address Moses. "You're just jealous I beat you to it, Red!" she stuck out her tongue at him.

"Jealous of you?" Moses put his hands on his hips. "Why would I ever be jealous of you, Bubbles! I can hug Jay whenever I want! Right?" He picked up Jay and rubbed his fist into the small ninja's head. "See? See?" he said happily.

"Moses...!" Jay growled out, his voice past the point of threatening. He was tired of being manhandled by these two, and he showed his distaste by elbowing the redhead sharply.

"Oof!" Moses grunted as he was elbowed and let go of Jay. He laughed slightly and rubbed the spot.

"Come on, let's all get out of here and go back to Will's house." Senel said. "We can all rest properly there."

"Yes, yes, I agree. I'll make some sandwiches when we get there too!" Grune said with a smile.

"Alright!" Norma grinned at the mention of Grune's cooking. "Come on, come on! Let's get out of here, I'm starving!" she urged everyone, pumping her fist up in the air.

Jay had a small smile too. It felt like it had been forever since they were all like this.

* * *

Senel lead the group out of the Mirage Palace and one travel through the ducts later, and they were in front of the small town of Werites Beacon. From there, it was a short walk to Will's house. Grune skipped over to the oven and got to work, humming a happy tune as she cooked, making good use of the recently bought groceries.

"Hey, I'll be back. I'm gonna go check on Csaba." Moses said with a small wave before he exited the house.

Jay watched him go with a small worried frown on his lip. He too wondered how Csaba was doing, and wanted to see him, but he had a feeling Moses wanted to see him alone. Still...

Jay decided to follow after, but he would follow Moses secretly, making sure no one saw him. "I have something to do as well. I'll be back soon." he announced to the party, and left before they could question him.

Norma stopped staring hungrily at the kitchen then and raised a brow at this. "Oooh~" she grinned mischievously. "Now this is unusual!" she giggled, making Chloe stare at her in confusion. "Usually it's Red chasing after JJ, you know." she grinned, wiggling her brows at the swordswoman. Chloe rolled her eyes at Norma's implications and just ignored her.

Senel looked at Norma and shook his head. "And what makes you so sure Jay's going after Moses anyway? He could be checking up on the Oresoren for all you know."

Norma wagged her finger at them both. "Tsk, tsk, Senny. You should know better than that!" She shook her head, her grin never faltering. "JJ already knows the Scallops are alright! And anyway, haven't you noticed how chummy they've been getting along?" Norma put her hand on her chin as her face turned more sly then. "Something's going on with those two. Call it woman's intuition! Heheh~"

"Woman's intuition? Please. _Grune_ is more of a woman than you are." Senel said, rolling his eyes. Of course, he had meant this in an intellectual way... but it could easily be mistaken for something else.

"Thank you, Senel~" Grune called from the kitchen with a happy smile.

At this statement both Chloe's and Norma's faces began to turn red. "Despicable." Chloe muttered coldly, just loud enough to be heard. She narrowed her eyes at Senel and crossed her arms over her chest before looking away. Norma on the other hand stopped her foot on the ground. "That was mean, Senny!" she protested before going turning around to ignore him as well. Normally she would've made a jive to make Chloe join her but Senel had taken care of that himself this time.

"Huh?" Senel looked in confusion at Chloe and Norma. He didn't think they'd take it that bad. And why were they blushing? ... Senel thought over what he had said before it dawned on him. "Wait! I didn't mean it like that!" he said quickly, his face also turning red.

Norma had pretty much expected that response out of Senel, but continued to playfully ignore him, trying not to snicker at his predicament. Chloe on the other hand, didn't believe him for a second. Poor Senel...

Moses headed off towards the hospital in Werites Beacon. He asked the nurse where Csaba's room was before she directed him to the right place. Entering Csaba's room, Moses grinned and gave the other male a tight hug which Csaba returned.

"Moses! I'm glad you're okay!" Csaba said happily.

"Yeah, me too! I thought you all had been done for." Moses sat on the chair next to the bed. "When are they letting you out?"

"In a few hours, I think. The wound to my leg wasn't as bad as the others." Csaba said with a small smile.

"That's good." Moses grinned. "Then you can join us for dinner today. I think we're gonna have a party!"

Csaba laughed at this. "No alcohol, right? You know how you get when you get drunk."

Moses laughed in return. "Nah. I can't be drunk around my little Jay-bo. I'll hold off the booze today."

Jay entered the hospital discreetly, following Moses at a fair distance. He stayed outside the room Moses entered and began to eavesdrop. From the sounds of it, it looked like Csaba was doing just fine. Jay smiled feeling glad. It had been his fault the other had gotten hurt after all. Jay continued to listen to their conversation, his brow returning irritably at Moses "little" remark.

Moses and Csaba continued to speak for a while before a nurse came passing the hall. She walked over to Jay and smiled kindly. "Hi, little boy, are you lost?" she asked sweetly.

Jay's eye twitched at the nurse's assumption before remembering where he was. His eyes widened slightly, and he slowly turned around to stare at her, feeling unease. "Um, I was just leaving..!" he whispered to her lowly so the occupants he had been spying on wouldn't notice the commotion. He made to leave then, sidestepping over the nurse and heading towards the exit.

But Moses, being the good big brother that he was, could sense Jay's distress miles away. He stood up and opened the door before grinning at the sight of the ninja. "Jay! Over here!" he said happily with a wave, thinking that instead of leaving, Jay was merely lost.

Jay froze on his step and really, almost cringed at being so careless. He turned around and was about to awkwardly wave at Moses in greeting when he stopped himself in time. What was he thinking? He crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes instead. "Really Moses, I had thought even you were smart enough to know not to yell inside a hospital. People are trying to get rest, you know." he lectured him as he approached the redhead. Jay tried to ignore the blush that spread across his cheeks, but was relieved it was probably not noticeable through his face paint.

"You should know how careless Moses is at this point, Jay." Csaba said with a smile.

"Hey! Why are you two picking on me?" Moses said, giving them a pout. The redhead let Jay in before closing the door.

Csaba smiled at Moses before looking at Jay. "How are you?" he asked, though the question had more meaning than an everyday greeting.

"..." Jay's expression turned nervous for a split second before it returned to normal. He sidestepped the question. "Shouldn't I be asking you that question? You are the one on the hospital bed." he reminded him as he sat down on one of the chairs.

Csaba smiled a bit. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me." He said.

"Yeah, Csaba's tough! Even though he doesn't really look it." Moses said, leaning against the wall.

"I've improved over the past year." Csaba said with a small laugh before looking at Jay and flashing him a special smile.

"I suppose you have.." Jay smiled weakly, slightly cursing the man for getting back on track. Jay didn't know why he felt like avoiding this subject now. He was such a coward... Jay stared down at his lap, not knowing what else to say.

Luckily, Moses stepped in at the right moment. "So we'll let you rest, Csaba. Food should be ready back at Will's place." he said with a grin. "You rest, alright?"

Csaba nodded. "I will. I'll come over to the house when they let me go." he said.

Moses nodded and looked at Jay. "Come on, let's go. I'm starving!" he said as he headed out of the room.

Jay looked up from his lap in surprise at this sudden goodbye. Although he supposed it was his fault, as he _had_ interrupted the two. Jay got up and followed Moses out the door, only turning back to say goodbye to Csaba.

Csaba waved and watched them go. Moses walked out of the hospital with Jay and smiled a bit at him. "Thanks for coming. I'm really glad Csaba's alright." he said as his grin widened happily.

"D-don't mention it." Jay murmured, still embarrassed at having been caught at the hospital.

Moses looked at Jay for a moment. "Hey, something wrong, Jay? You look flustered." he said, leaning down a bit to be eye level with Jay.

Jay shook his head although he didn't meet Moses' eyes. "It's nothing." he told him.

"Come on. You can tell your big brother anything." Moses said with a grin, putting a hand fondly on Jay's head. "You trust me, right?"

Jay glared slightly at the hand on his head, but Moses' words soften up his expression. "I-idiot..." Jay muttered embarrassedly. "You should already know that." he admitted to him quietly. Why did the other have to say it that way? Jay thought, looking away from the redhead. He... really never changed, he thought fondly.

Moses gave him a smile and let his hand fall back to his side. After a few moments of silence, Moses stopped and put his hands behind his head. "Jay." he said, looking at him for a moment, his expression a bit serious. "Tell me about... Noah." he said. "How was I before.. whatever happened that I lost my memory?"

Jay stopped in his tracks the moment Moses spoke his name in that tone. He had thought he could avoid this a bit longer... He frowned, looking at the ground as he tried to think about where to begin. Would Moses hate him...? He wondered, hesitating. After all, Jay had said horrible things that night, had done horrible things back then.

It was as if Jay was back to his old self then, back before when Solon haunted his very thoughts, crushing his self esteem. Jay tried to shake these thoughts away and instead forced a smirk. "You haven't changed at all you know." Jay told him, his tone turning teasing. "You're still the same loudmouth who rushes ahead into danger without thinking. And... you're still..." You're still able to care about someone like me, he wanted to say, but the words stuck in his throat.

On one hand, Moses was happy that he wasn't that different. But as Jay spoke, he noticed that the tone was sort of... forced. And when the boy trailed off, Moses couldn't help but feel concerned. "If you don't want to talk about it, then you don't have to. Just tell me, Jay." He said, putting his hands on Jay's shoulders. "You're my little bro. I don't want to make you feel bad."

Jay was beginning to get that weird feeling again, the one both Noah and Moses made him feel at times like this. "Really..." Jay shook his head, his mouth curving into a small smile. "No matter what happens, you are always 'you'." he told him, and laughed.

Moses looked at him for a moment before he smiled. A doubt that he hadn't been aware of seemed to disappear and he laughed slightly. "Feels good, hearing that from you." he said before he pulled Jay into a bear hug. "You're gonna make your big brother cry!" he said with a grin.

"Ack!" Jay thought he might too, but for an entirely different reason. He struggled against Moses arms, wanting to get out of his hold. "G-get off of me, you stupid bandit!" he growled scathingly. Old habits never died it seemed. Jay's face burnt as he noticed that people were beginning to notice.

"Haha~! I knew it!" a familiar voice proclaimed in the not-quite-so-far distance. Norma was skipping along with a triumphant expression on her face. "What did I tell you guys?" she gloated to Chloe and Senel. Indeed, Chloe looked surprised Norma had been right.

Senel still looked quite embarrassed from previous events that he didn't respond when Norma turned out to be correct, above all.

Moses looked at the three of them and raised an eyebrow, still holding onto Jay. "What are you babbling about now, Bubbles?" He then sniffed the air and let go of Jay. "Food's ready!" he announced as he marched off towards the heavenly aroma of Grune's cooking.

Jay was too horrified about having been caught by the party to feel relieved about Moses finally letting go. Without even muttering a word of acknowledgment to them he quickly hurried into the house as well, making it seem like he was following after Moses.

Norma watched the two go with a growing smirk across her face. She was seriously never going to let Jay live this down! She giggled then, feeling entirely mischievous as she too followed after them.

* * *

The End! Hope you guys enjoyed it!

For those curious, I played: Jay, Norma, and Chloe; while TheKillerBunny played: Moses, Solon, Senel, and Grune. She's the best, isn't she? You guys should go check out her fics!

And of course, please leave a review, that makes us very happy as well. (:


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